Constitutional Comparative Law

The main objective of this course is to analyze, under a comparative point of view, the constitutional law of countries belonging to an area in the past submitted to the socialist rule (Central and Eastern Europe). This will underline similarities and differences with Western constitutional models. The countries concerned are almost all members of the European Union (including the Baltic States, formerly part of the Soviet Union). The constitutional system of Russia is instead quite different, because of its different historical and constitutional background, the knowledge of which is crucial for a better comprehension of political and constitutional system and for casting a foresight on the future development of the country. The teaching method will stimulate the students' making judgments and applying knowledge, in addition to the traditional understanding ability.

Knowledge and understanding: At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the knowledge necessary to understand the constitutional dynamics of Central and Eastern European countries, in a historical and comparative perspective, and will be able to analyse the different types of transition and the differences in relevant areas (consolidated democracies, illiberal democracies, post authoritarian regimes). Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: The acquired knowledge will allow the student to analyze autonomously the constitutional characteristics of the new democracies and to express both in written and oral presentations (the latter resulted from team work), an in-depth analysis based on the autonomous gathering of sources (legislation, case-law and doctrine) and on the use of a specific language